The reveal!!!

ITS A BOY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We are so happy to know we are having a precious little boy, Jackson Edward Broome. His name has both family and historical meaning. Jackson is for my Papa Jack and Stonewall Jackson, Edward is for Zach's great granddad and Robert Edward Lee, and his initials spell out JEB which stands for Jeb Stuart. We could not be happier and the sonogram was wonderful! It was about 45 minutes and we got to see all major organs, his spine, ribcage, thigh bone, and his arm bones. Within the first 10 seconds we knew it was a boy and he was fully cooperative the whole time:) He was kicking, punching, and grasping. Unfortunately we did not get a look at his face or profile because he was facing towards my spine. The poor nurse tried moving him and I was rolling from side to side to try and get him to move but he was not having it. I told Zach I guess I forgot to ask for a face picture because I was so scared we would not be able to see the sex, but he was all or showing us that part. I am so happy to share the news with you all and we cannot wait to meet our little man!!

Week 19

Week 19

  Hey yall! Sorry we are a bit late again, I am under the weather so sleep has been my main priority. Please pray that I get over this quickly and Baby B continues to grow healthy and strong. Zach and I had a great weekend. Saturday we had Courtney and John over for dinner, friends from church and Gospel Community. We had a great night talking and sharing our lives together. Sunday after church I went to a baby shower while Zach got to hang out with some guys and chat about their upcoming Tough Mudder race. I will add the link at the end of the blog for those of you who want to check this crazy race out! They guys finally came up with a name, The Skunk Apes, and have started training every Monday night together. I am so excited for Zach because he has been wanting to do this for awhile now but I was not too interested- being electrocuted is not my idea of a good time:) This has also been a good outreach for them because they are meeting others who have done it previously or are interested in doing it. After the shower Sunday we went over to give Crystal and Garrett a couple movies and see how they were doing. It was a nice visit and Zach held baby Grace!!! I also got to hold baby Grace, but it was so sweet to see her in his arms. Monday night I went to meet with my DNA group and Zach ran with the guys. A couple ladies were out so we just talked about life and shared our weeks with each other, then it was home and bed for me. Tuesday was our night to take food to Garrett and Crystal, and sadly I was not able to attend because I did not want to give my crud to Grace. Zach took them Chili's though and got to visit with them for a bit. He came home and was all excited about their baby swing because Grace liked it so much and said we need to make sure to register for one- lol:) Also on Tuesday our much anticipated couch arrived!!! We were so happy to finally be able to sit next to each other without being on the floor. So that has been our news since our last blog now on to our little one.
  Baby B is 19 weeks today and we can hardly believe we are almost half way there. It seems like time is just flying by and we have so much to still plan and do. We are also anxiously anticipating Monday because we get to find out if Baby B is a he or she!!! I will make a special quick blog that night after we have a reveal with our friends! This week the baby is the size of a mango. I am shocked each week at how quickly he/she is growing. The baby is now covered in Vernix caseosa- a greasy white protective substance that covers the baby's skin, protecting him/her from the surrounding amniotic fluid. Without this protection the baby would look wrinkled at birth, like if you sat in a tub all day. This coating sheds as delivery approaches, but some babies still have a little especially if born early. The baby's sensory development is also exploding! Their brain is designating specialized areas for smell, touch, hearing, vision, and taste. Also a protective covering of myelin is beginning to form around his/her nerves. Baby B's arms and legs are in the right proportions to each other and the rest of the body now. The kidney's continue to to make urine and their hair is sprouting. We are so excited to learn how much the baby is developing this week. Also if you have time we would love to hear everyone's predictions- boy or girl so please leave a comment and let us know:) Zach thinks it is a boy, I am really not sure but my first reaction when we found out was girl. Just 5 more days!!!!

    

Our Couch!!

Zach and little baby Grace

Zach's Truck

Week 18

  So once again it has been a crazy week, but better late than never! Zach and I had an amazing weekend last weekend. Saturday we went to New Smyrna to visit Zach's grandparents and the beach. We had both had such a long week and the thought of some sun time sounding amazing, but God had another plan in mind for us and we were so glad he did. So it was absolutely beautiful driving up there but the closer we got we saw dark clouds. Once we arrived at the beach there was some crazy wind and it was sprinkling. Zach and I were still determined though to get some beach time so we decided to go shelling:) Zach's grandma went with us and we found some awesome stuff! I found two whole sand dollars, a whole cockle shell, and a lot of little pieces. I am looking for certain shells to put in the baby's room potentially and during a storm was the perfect time to look. Afterwards we all went out to lunch and it was so nice catching up with each other. Sunday after church Zach went golfing with some friends and I got to catch up on some house work. Tuesday our friends Garrett and Crystal had a beautiful and perfect baby girl, Grace. Wednesday we got to go up and visit with them and meet their new addition:) We were so happy to share in their special time! It definitely made me that much more anxious to meet our little one. We are getting so excited to find out the sex and can't wait to share our news with our friends and family!
   As for development this week, I think I have started to feel the baby!!!!! It does not happen all the time but I have started to feel a flutter here and there:) This week the baby is about the size of a sweet potato and I can tell he/she is growing because I have been hungrier lately and feel like I am constantly the getting bigger. The baby is also starting to master yawning and hiccupping. Overall the baby is still continuing to grow and develop into the little person he/she will be. We can not wait to see how big our baby B is on the 30th!
     

Week 18

Veggies for dinner from our garden!!!!

Zach and the Bear

Zach playing with the dogs:)

Our amazing dinner!! These are the veggies from above and it was so good!

Week 17

Growing belly :)

Zach with Baby B's crib!!! Thank you Megan and Richard

Dogs enjoying some time in the yard. Shadow was shaking off grass and Cass was chewing an antler.

Baby Chick

  This past weekend was great! I had off Friday for Good Friday and was able to get some errands done that we normally cannot do because we were at work and spent a lot of time outside with the dogs. Saturday was our church Easter egg hunt and we had a great turn out- even some of my kids from work came! Ethan and Addison also came over with Richard and Megan for the day to hunt for eggs and explore downtown Mt. Dora. It was so good to see them again. Sunday was so nice- we went to our church's sunrise service, then breakfast with some friends, back to church for our normal service, and went over to John and Courtney's (a couple from our gospel community) for an Easter potluck. Afterwards we both came home and crashed:) Sunday we also built the crib for the baby and got to see baby chicks hatch at Garrett and Crystal's house! It was quite the Sunday. Monday I had jury duty, unfortunately I was not selected to continue but I did have the rest of the day off so I got some work done around the house and take lunch to Zach. Overall it was a great weekend and a good start to the week.
  Baby time! This weekend I feel like I just popped out. I had a little stomach, but Sunday I woke up and Zach and I both noticed a definite baby bump. The baby is now about the size of an onion or about palm size. Body fat is beginning to form this week, it is called adipose tissue, and it is important to the body's heat production and metabolism. The baby is all about practice now in preparation for birth. One important skill the baby is sharpening now is sucking and swallowing to get ready for their first meal. The baby's brain is also now regulating their heart rate (so no more spontaneous beats) which clocks in at 140 to 150 beats per minute- which is roughly twice as fast as mine. This week water makes up about 3 ounces of Baby B's body. I can definitely tell that the baby is getting bigger too because I have started having round ligament pain- which is caused from the uterus growing and stretching and pulling the ligaments around it.
    

Week 16

  Yay!! Hopefully I am back on track to the blogs being on time-next week:) Zach and I had a great weekend but still busy. Saturday we drove up to New Smyrna to the beach to meet up with Zach's parents, Monica-his sister, her boyfriend Dewayne, and his grandparents. Once we got there we were pleasantly surprised to see Richard, Meagan, Ethan, and Addison!!! Sunday we drove back to the beach to say goodbye to Zach's family and then met up with the Broome side of Zach's family at the Talbert's for an Easter egg hunt. It was a great time with family and a lot of fun watching the kids find the eggs- I even got to help find a few:) Monday it was back to our work week and overall it has been good for both of us. We can't wait for this coming up weekend because will get to see Richard, Megan, Ethan, and Addison again for our church's egg hunt! We are so happy they will be coming, especially since Addison broke her collar bone Sunday at the family egg hunt.
   So little Baby B is the size of an avocado. I am so excited this week because now he/she can hear us because the bones in their ears are forming!!!! Also the baby's muscles are getting stronger, especially in the back, enabling him/her to straighten out even more. The baby's sweet face is also looking more grown up with eyes (complete with eyebrows and eyelashes) and ears in the right spot. What is even more exciting the eyes are working more than ever- they are moving side to side and can perceive some light even though the eyelids are still sealed. The baby is also becoming more sensitive to touch- if I poke my belly he/she might squirm. Still waiting on feeling him/her move, but trust me I will post the day I do!